FUNDRAISING TOOLKITFORPATIENT ORGANISATIONS
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Author: Simona Biancu, ENGAGEDin
http://www.engagedin.net/english
Editors: Camille Bullot, Danielle Flores, European Patients’ Forum
This publication received funding under an operating grant from the European Union’s Health Programme (2014-2020).
The content of this publication reflects only the author’s views and is his/her sole responsibility. The European Commission and the Executive Agency are not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.
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CONTENTS1. ThE CONCEPT OF FUNDRAISING 4
1.1 Build Relationships, then think money 4
1.2 The donors’ cultivation: from Pareto’s LAW to the pyramid of fundraising 5
1.3 The donors’ research: the circles of constituency 6
1.4 The sources of fundraising 7
1.5 The Board’s role in fundraising 8
2. hOw TO SET A FUNDRAISING PLAN 10
2.1 The Case Statement 10
2.2 Defining your strategy 12
2.2.1 The SWOT analysis 13
2.2.2 Know your assets 13
2.2.3 Resources needed? 13
2.2.4 The G.I.V.E.S. Model 14
2.3 The fundraising goals 17
2.4 The communication plan 19
2.5 Campaigns and tools 21
2.5.1 The fundraising vehicles 22
2.5.2 What about social media? 23
2.5.3 Telling stories: storytelling 24
2.6 Fundraising as a permanent process: the cycle of fundraising 25
3. ThE ChALLENGE OF EvALUATING FUNDRAISING 27
3.1 Return On Investment / Social Return On investment 27
3.1.1 Differentiating businesses and non-profit organisations 27
3.1.2 How to calculate your Return on Investment? 28
3.1.3 Social Return on Investment (SROI) 28
3.1.4 The uses of SROI 29
3.2 Internal engagement 30
3.3 Ethics, transparency, accountability 31
3.3.1 The benefits of transparency 32
3.3.2 Accountability: correlating resources and outcomes 33
4. FAQ 37
5. BIBLIOGRAPhy & SITOGRAPhy 39
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1. ThE CONCEPTOF FUNDRAISING
1.1 BUILD RELATIONShIPS, ThEN ThINK mONEy
“Fundraising” means much more than just
raising funds. Obviously, collecting money is
the final goal of fundraising, as it will ensure
the organisation’s economic sustainability.
However, the cornerstone of fundraising
is the reason why someone should donate
money to the organisation.
Donating to someone – a cause, a person,
or an organisation – is an act that gives a
purpose and motivation. Our first focus when
approaching fundraising should therefore be
to identify people interested in contributing
to our mission: the prospective donors. The
motivations of prospective donors can be
diverse: they may be familiar with the cause,
or sensitive to certain issues, or it could be
that they have consideration for the NGO that
represents the cause, etc.
The starting point is to gain people’s interest
in the cause advanced by your organisation.
You can start by communicating the
mission, the vision, and the projects of the
organisation, in order to connect people
to your organisation. In short, the job of
a fundraiser is to engage people. On the
opposite, a relationship based solely on
money will result in irregular donations
for your organisation, and no stability or
development perspective.
The first key element is that fundraising must be understood as a question of relationships first, and then money.
The second key element to achieve effective fundraising is striking the right balance between emotional and rational thinking.
“If there is no emotion, there won’t
be another donation”. When talking to
prospective donors, you need to develop
an empathic relationship with them and
to connect them to your cause, your
organisation’s projects, the opportunities you
see, and the difficulties you encounter.
However, when the time comes to ask for a
donation, you will need to have a precise idea
of the costs of your project, the break-down
of your budget per activity, and the timing.
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Therefore, your task will be to present your
organisation in a way that you gain emotional
commitment from them, while making them
feel that this is a wise investment.
Keep in mind that the cause you promote is
central to the relationship between you and
your donors: your organisation is a facilitator
between your donors and your cause.
Your donors are a precious asset to your
patient organisation. This means that you
need to invest time in this relationship,
keeping your donors informed about the
destination of the money that they have
donated and about your organisation’s plans
and activities.
Communicating about your organisation and
its mission is a crucial step in cultivating the
relationship with your donors. In order to
do this, we need to write down “the case
statement” (see section 2.1.).
1.2 ThE DONORS’ CULTIvATION: FROm PARETO’S LAw TO ThE PyRAmID OF FUNDRAISING
Generally known as the “80/20 Principle” or
Pareto’s Law, this formula can be summarised
as follows: 80% of the outputs results from
20% of the inputs. When applied to the
fundraising context, it means that 80% of the
funding comes from 20% of our donors, or
put differently, 80% of our results comes from
20% of our time and effort.
In fundraising, non-profits often spend an
enormous amount of time planning events,
writing grants, researching potential donors,
and updating multiple social media sites.
One aspect that is often neglected is the
evaluation of these strategies’ effectiveness
compared to their desired outcomes.
Spending a bit of time on evaluation could
help save a lot of time on unsuccessful
strategies (see section 3 on evaluating
fundraising).
Another lesson that we can draw from
Pareto’s law is that your organisation should
invest time cultivating relationships with
prospective donors similar to the ones that
already value and support your organisation.
Indeed, these are the stakeholders who will
make the most valuable contribution to your
organisation in the long run.
Pareto’s Law has also inspired one of the
most well-known schemes of sustainable
fundraising: the pyramid of fundraising.
The donor acquisition process is usually
based on the following assumption: the
donors at the top of the pyramid (the 20%)
make contributions equivalent to 80% of
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the donations, while the donations of first-
time donors (the 80% at the bottom of the
pyramid) account for 20% of the donations.
The donor development strategy “requires”
moving donors “up the pyramid”, with each
stage corresponding to a higher level of
commitment between the donor and the
non-profit organisation.
It is important to recognise the different
types of supporters of your organisation and
to identify specific actions for each level of
commitment. The objective is to keep donors
engaged wherever they are on the pyramid
and to nurture the relationship throughout
the Donor Life Cycle.
In order to build a proper fundraising
pyramid, it is crucial to keep accurate records
of your donors: number, type of supporters,
giving history, etc. In order to achieve
this, getting the right database (Customer
Relationship Management) is pivotal.
The data compiled can then be analysed and
show trends and donor segments.
1.3 ThE DONORS’ RESEARCh: ThE CIRCLES OF CONSTITUENCy
Effective fundraising requires
a thorough knowledge of your
organisation’s constituency. We can
define the constituency as a distinct
group of people with actual or
potential interest in the organisation1.
A helpful way to think about an organisation’s
constituency is to visualise a set of concentric
circles representing the energy of the
organisation which dissipates from the centre
outward. The core constituency is at the
centre of the concentric circles. The further
out the circles are, the weaker in terms of
links with the mission of the NGO.
Based on this model, we can identify the
constituency of our NGO filling out each circle
in the following way:
The centre: primary stakeholders (Board
of Directors, management, major donors)
The 2nd circle: volunteers, receivers of
services/clients, general donors, members
The 3rd circle: former participants/former
board members/former donors
The 4th circle: people with similar interests
The very last circle: the “rest of the world”
1 T. Seiler, Developing a constituency for fundraising.
1. ThE CONCEPT OF FUNDRAISING
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Once you have determined which cluster
of prospective donors belongs to which
of the above-mentioned circles, you need
to evaluate the probability for each group
to become a donor (or a volunteer, or an
advocate, and so on).
The LAI model helps you to assess the
likelihood of the donation of each group. LAI
stands for:
Linkage: the type of relationship this
group has with your organisation;
Ability: the financial capability of the
group to give;
Interest: the interest of the potential
donor towards the cause and the mission
of your organisation.
By linking these three criteria, you will be able
to build a list of prospective donors ranked
on the basis of their relations and interest
towards your NGO as well as their financial
capacity to donate.
1.4 ThE SOURCES OF FUNDRAISING
Prospective donors are broader than
just one category: they are companies,
but also individuals, foundations,
service clubs, and public bodies.
Ideally, a sound fundraising plan will
include each of the potential sources of
fundraising. Indeed, each of them will be able
to contribute in a specific way to the overall
goal.
This means that as a first step, the database
of your patient organisation should be made
of a balanced mix of all sources. The “circles
of constituency” and the LAI model will
then help you to think strategically of your
prospective donors.
Think creatively! As regards corporate
sponsors, although the pharmaceutical sector
may seem an obvious door to knock on for
patient organisations, the individuals working
within your organisation may have contacts
with people from other fields. A way to begin
the search for prospective donors can be
the analysis of the relationships that each
board member has with companies. This has
a double advantage: you will reach out to
companies from a different field, and through
a “personal” contact.
People with Similar interests
Former Board M
embersFo
rmer
Don
ors
Others
Clie
nts
Volunteers
Mem
bersGeneral Donors
Empl
oyee
sBoard
Maj
or D
onors
Management
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Alternatively, explore ideas around the
specific mission your organisation pursues:
are there other sectors relating directly to
your disease area or national context? Is
there a specific food or activity recommended
to support the medical treatment in your
disease area?
The goal of this brainstorming exercise is to
broaden your portfolio of potential corporate
partners beyond the pharma sector.
With regards to foundations, take the time
to analyse the foundations active in your
field before using a database or public data
sources2. This will save you time and help you
make the right ask to the right foundation.
1.5 ThE BOARD’S ROLE IN FUNDRAISING
The roles and functions of board members
can differ greatly from one organisation to the
other. However, one of the main functions of
the board is to ensure that your organisation
has enough resources to pursue the strategic
plan and that the resources are properly
used.
Therefore, there is usually an expectation that
the board will play a key role in fundraising.
It is important that the staff and board
members share the same understanding of
what is expected from each other.
Your board members should be actively
involved in the development phase of your
fundraising plan, from the planning process
to the development of the case for support.
This ensures that the supporting strategies
are correctly planned, and – generally
speaking – that board members understand
their collective and individual roles.
The role of your board should be a key
part of the fundraising plan. Indeed, Board
members also account for part of the
organisation’s fundamental internal resources
for fundraising, through their personal
contacts, their role in creating engagement
with stakeholders, and their personal
expertise.
The board therefore works in cooperation
with your organisation’s staff, bringing
influence and strength in support of the
organisation’s broader fundraising plan.
For its part, the staff drives the day-to-day
execution of most activities.
The most mature organisations in terms of
fundraising culture will be developing a real
“board fundraising policy” that defines the
amount each board member is expected
to give and/or raise directly, the process
for waiving the requirement, and other
additional ways in which board members can
support fundraising.
2 www.foundationcenter.org is a great source of information.
1. ThE CONCEPT OF FUNDRAISING
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Think about it this way: an individual who
gives time is a volunteer, an individual who
gives money is a donor. A board member
must be both a volunteer and a donor.
The main ways in which your board
members can be involved are:
Giving: is it realistic to expect others to do
something that you are not willing to do
yourself? (This can be giving time, not only
money!);
Advocating on behalf of the organisation;
Being ready to tell the story of the
organisation and its mission;
Providing connections with or making
introductions to new prospective donors
and opportunities for fundraising;
Identifying and cultivating high-net-worth
donors;
Promoting or hosting events and other
initiatives;
Being available for meetings with potential
donors.
Specific trainings can be organised to enhance
your board members’ capacity and boost
their confidence to raise funds for your
organisation.
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Since fundraising is not “talking about
money”, but “building and cultivating
relationships”, developing a fundraising plan
becomes a very personal exercise. There is
no “one size fits all” model for fundraising
plans, as the donors, prospective donors,
needs, strengths, and weaknesses vary from
an organisation to the other.
It is not rare to see non-profits running their
activity without a fundraising plan, trying
to catch the most opportunities they can or
waiting for opportunities that do not show
up. This is the worst way to run development
programmes and to ensure the organisation’s
sustainability.
A fundraising plan allows you to focus your
efforts. With it, you follow a clear strategy,
define activities and tactics and develop a
“fundraising calendar”. It guides your daily
work.
The ideal “fundraising plan” is a document
that is written every year, or – in a medium-
term perspective – every 2-3 year with annual
revision.
Who is the owner or this activity? This
highly depends on the organisational model,
but in general this process is not led by a
single person: instead, a group (fundraising
committee, development task force…)
involving people with different functions
(including a person from the communication
department, or with communication skills)
leads the process in very close contact with
the board.
Let’s start drafting our fundraising plan!
A fundraising plan usually includes:
The case statement
The strategy
The goals
The tactics (campaigns, targets,
instruments)
2.1 ThE CASE STATEmENT
The Case Statement – or Case for Support –
is one of the most important documents for
your non-profit. But what is it?
A compelling case statement “clearly
illustrates your organisation’s mission and
vision for the future, tells donors why you
need funding and what outcomes you are
seeking from their investment. It “offers
strong reasons why prospects should make
gifts to your organization3.”
3 Joe Garecht, How to write a case for support for your non-profit – part. II.4 C. Richardson, Philantropy News Digest.
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“Effective fundraising is a result of telling
your story4”. A great case statement includes
a mix of both emotionally compelling stories
as well as cold, hard facts that back up your
claim to bring change for your community. It
communicates your vision for a better future,
and invites donors to be part of that vision.
The case for support should be one of the
first things you write when you start your
fundraising strategy. Written in a “donor-
oriented” style, it will form the basis for all
of your non-profit communications. You can
refer to your case statement when writing
newsletters, emails, on your website, in
the materials developed for donors, etc.
Everything that counts for your organisation
should be included in it.
You can also create an “external” case for
support (an extract from your case statement)
suitable for sharing directly with donors – for
example, by including it into a brochure.
What should the case statement include?
The information compiled in the case
statement can vary depending on your
organisation’s situation and history. The only
suggestion is to avoid making it too long or
too formal.
An emotional opening: as already
mentioned, fundraising involves a mix of
emotions and rational thinking. Donors
and prospects will read the opening of
your case statement to decide whether
or not the rest of the document is worth
reading.
Mission and vision, values: why does your
organisation exist? Why should people
care? What is your vision for the future?
Governance, paid staff, volunteers: show
your faces! Assuming that fundraising is
based on relationships with donors and
mutual trust, the best option to initiate
a dialogue with donors will be to provide
transparent information about your
organisation’s Board, its staff, and its
volunteers.
History of the organisation: provide a
brief summary of the history of your
organisation and of its work to date.
Case statement
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Strategic objectives and programmes:
explain how to put the vision in practice.
Outcomes and proof of impact: show
proof that what you are doing is
worthwhile. Use statistics and charts, but
more importantly, tell the stories of those
you have helped, using testimonials, and
back those up with numbers.
Resources needed: how much money does
your organisation need to raise? What will
the money raised be used for? Why do you
need to raise it now?
The elements can be included in any order.
The case statement needs to be coherent and
make sense for your organisation, so you do
not have to stick to any formula.
A clear case statement ensures that the
entire organisation has a unique identity
(from the board to the volunteers) and
conveys a consistent message when speaking
to external stakeholders, developing
educational materials, speaking to the media
and public, and... fundraising.
The case statement (3-4 pages or more) does
not need to be reviewed regularly, being
the conceptual basis for the practical plans
developed year by year in fundraising.
2.2 DEFINING yOUR STRATEGy
The Strategy is the instrument that mobilises
the organisation to achieve its vision for the
future. The Strategy gives your Board, staff
and volunteers a purpose and direction to
engage with the external stakeholders. It is
the path between now and the future. The
Strategy determines how the organisation
relates to the outside world: how it makes the
most of opportunities, responds to change,
and faces up to challenges and threats.
A strategy clarifies what the priorities are and
where the organisation’s resources should be
concentrated.
The Strategy usually focuses on the medium
to long term (3 to 5 years), but is relevant on
the short term too.
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2.2.1 ThE SwOT ANALySIS
The starting point to better understand
our potential in terms of fundraising is to
analyse the current situation. The SWOT
analysis is a useful tool to do so: writing down
the strengths, weaknesses, threats, and
opportunities will give you a good overview
of where your organisation is at the present
time, both on the internal and external side.
Strengths Weaknesses
threats
Your weaknesses are the areas where you
should put forth some extra effort, while your
strengths constitute your capital – what you
are already able to do – and will guide the
development of your fundraising plan.
2.2.2 KNOw yOUR ASSETS
This first analysis of the present situation
will become even more meaningful when
completed with a benchmarking with
potential competitors.
A detailed overview about volunteers and
donors will help you to complete the picture:
how many of them are in your database? Do
you have their full profile or do you have a
simple “name and surname” database? Are
major donors a consistent group within your
database?
You should also assess your visibility rate
within the community: when people talk
about the needs and issues covered by
your organisation, do they know about your
programmes? Are you a reference point for
the patient community you represent?
2.2.3 RESOURCES NEEDED?
Last but not least, you should have the most
precise idea possible of the resources you
need.
Evaluate carefully the financial resources
you need to achieve your mission. The
more precise you are in the identification
of your fundraising needs, the more fitting
your strategy will be, and the better your
fundraising plan will be.
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2.2.4 ThE G.I.v.E.S. mODEL
The G.I.V.E.S. Model is often used to
determine the best fundraising strategy for an
NGO.
It describes fives paths the organisation can
take to achieve its objectives. This model
requires clear and precise definitions of your
goals and priorities.
for GROWTH: growing the
number of first-time donors
This path is based mainly on increasing the
number of first donations from a bigger
number of newly-acquired donors.
Whom is this for? This strategy is frequently
adopted by newly created NGOs, or NGOs
with a start-up fundraising plan.
A strategy based on a growth path requires
lots of energy and a high commitment from
the whole organisation, as well as strong
governing bodies. If for any reason you
perceive this may be a difficulty, it is probably
better not to choose this option.
What’s the idea? Let’s take another look at
the fundraising pyramid. At the very base of
the pyramid are the “small-gifts donors”. All
these people have a low level of engagement
with your organisation.
This fundraising path is aimed to take them
through the donor journey (to move them
“up the pyramid”). Our objective will then
be to enhance the level and the quality of
the interaction between the two parts of the
fundraising-relationship, and to go from small
donations up to major gifts and legacies.
What are the tools? The best tools to reach
a high number of new donors and ask them a
first low-level donation are probably mailing
and e-mailing. Face-to-face meetings, but
also word of mouth can be used within small
communities.
for INVOLVEMENT: increasing
your impact through new recruits
This path consists of people-raising plans,
volunteers’ programmes, and programmes
based on increasing the level of involvement
of the organisation’s members.
Whom is this for? This is a typical path for
NGOs who need to increase their number of
volunteers and to demonstrate their impact
within their own community. This strategy
works well when the NGO is supported by
people with a high visibility on their own
territory.
What’s the idea? Setting a fundraising
strategy based on involvement will require
charismatic volunteers, a pro-active approach
towards the people you are seeking to
engage, and a high level of commitment from
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your organisation’s individuals. Mentorship
programmes for the new recruits can be
implemented.
What are the tools? The tools typically
used for the “involvement” strategy are
membership campaigns, newsletters, in-
house publications and social networks.
for VISIBILITY: raising your
profile!
This strategy is based on increasing of
popularity for the NGO.
Whom is this for? This path is for
organisations who have a strong and well-
defined brand identity. The organisation
needs to have distinctive traits that make it
unique and well-known in its own field of
activity.
What’s the idea? In this “community-
focused” strategy, the organisation aims at
raising awareness of its cause, reinforcing
its brand identity and reputation, and
strengthening its capacity to generate
positive feedback about its activities within its
community.
What are the tools? The focus will be on
media actions and organising events in
a creative way. Cause-Related marketing
initiatives can also help here: CRM is a
strategy whereby a company decides to
allocate a fraction of the whole cost of its
products (or a percentage of the income from
its products) to support an NGO, by putting
the two brands together on the products and
setting up a joint communication plan. Setting
up an interactive website (enabling online
donations or an app for smartphones) and
social media-based campaigns are further
tools which can be used in the framework of a
strategy focusing on visibility.
for EFFICIENCY: less donors,
higher donations
Choosing this path means looking carefully at
the ratio between the investments and costs
of your organisation.
Whom is it for? You will need a strong
management, able to identify alternatives
to some expenditures – for example by
increasing in-kind donations.
What’s the idea? This strategy aims to
find the best option between the ideal
situation (in terms of projects, resources,
and fundraising) and a reasonable, realistic
alternative that is possibly less risky. This
attention to costs produces immediate
benefits in terms of savings but also helps
improve your organisation’s efficiency overall.
vvEE
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What are the tools? The typical tools used to
raise funds while keeping an eye on the cost-
benefit ratio are major donors campaigns (as
mentioned above: you target fewer donors
who already have a strong relationship with
your NGO, which means you have no costs
in terms of publicity, but you rather focus on
personal meetings in order to generate more
important donations), planned gifts (legacies),
corporate foundations, and public funding.
All these tools will generate a high income
in terms of donations with a low financial
commitment for the NGO.
for StABility
The stability path is appropriate
when the organisation is already established
and tackles fundraising from a long-term
perspective.
Whom is it for? The NGOs typically based
on this strategy are steady and economically
stable, with a mission that could be defined
as permanent and a set of strong and
immutable values.
What’s the idea? A stability strategy means
connecting with steady institutions, such as
universities or health foundations, and other
well established stakeholders.
What are the tools? Setting a fundraising
campaign means using direct debit donations,
patrimonial funds, and a strong diversification
among the tools available: the more tools we
use, the lesser risk we take in terms of funds
potentially raised.
How to choose which path to pursue?
When choosing a strategy, you must decide
where you want your organisation to be in
the future. There is not necessarily an ideal
fit: you will have to choose the best option
on the basis of the information you currently
have.
vISIBILITySTABILITy
A strategy is usually pursued for a 3 to 5
years-cycle. In this amount of time, you will
implement the strategy, plan campaigns,
and assess the outcomes in terms of impact,
funds and donors. At the end of this cycle,
you will assess your organisation’s situation
again, using the same approach. You might
then choose a different strategy for the
future.
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It is important to consider fundraising as
something really practical, able to generate
tangible changes within your organisation
and in the relationships you have with your
donors. It has to be approached step-by-step.
In short, keep in mind that raising funds
is an activity made of 90% of analysis and
back-office work, and 10% of requests.
Spend some time thinking of the strengths
and weaknesses of your organisation,
and identifying the most suitable strategy
accordingly.
Once chosen the appropriate strategy, you
will have to define some goals. For example,
if your strategy is based on growth, your task
will be to increase the number of first-donors.
But what should be this number? 100 more
donors? 10 more donors? It is important to
know what your goal is. If you assume that
you need to raise 10.000 euros to implement
your projects, the question is: how many
low-level donors do you need to reach that
amount of donations? And most importantly:
do I already have all of these donors in my
database?
2.3 ThE FUNDRAISING GOALS
The best way to start is by having your
final objective in mind: what is your overall
fundraising goal? And even better: what is
your fundraising goal for this year, and for
each of the next four years?
A useful tool to help you defining practical
goals is the SMART model5, where SMARt
means: Specific, Measurable, Acceptable,
Realistic, and Timebound.
The first step to refining your fundraising
goals is to make them SPECIFIC. It is not
enough to say that you want to raise more
money than last year. Indeed, that goal can
be accomplished by raising just one more
dollar. You will need to be more precise and
to quantify your goals.
Your specific fundraising goals can be raising
€ 50,000, engaging 50 new donors, or raising
10% more in total donations. Remember to
write down your goals.
MEASURABILITY is an important element
to make your goals specific. Setting
MEASUREABLE goals will make success
and failure more “objective”. If your goal
is to raise “a lot” of money, everyone may
have different numbers in mind. Having
a measurable goal means that when a
campaign is over, you will be able to say if you
have succeeded or failed. To make your
5 The SMART model was first outlined in an article published by George Doran in the Management Review “There’s a S.M.A.R.T. Way to Write Management’s Goals and Objectives”, 1981.
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objectives measurable, ask questions such as
“how much?” and “how many?”.
Thirdly, fundraising goals should be both
ACHIEVABLE and ACCEPTABLE. Achievable
doesn’t mean “easy”. Difficult goals result in
greater performance: people derive a greater
amount of satisfaction from achievements
they had to work hard for. Conversely, if a
goal seems unachievable, people may feel
discouraged or as though they are being
set up to fail. Your fundraising goals should
be challenging, not impossible. Also, there
should be a broad agreement among the
people taking part in the project on its
objectives.
R stands for RELEVANT. We value results
that make a positive difference and donors
also want to know what impact their gift
will make. Therefore you should be able to
explain how each of your fundraising goals
relates to your mission.
Finally, your goals need to be TIME-BOUND.
Deadlines are important to make sure your
objectives are specific and measurable. If a
goal isn’t time-based, achieving it can be put
off indefinitely. A clear deadline can also be a
powerful motivation for donors and fundraisers.
Remember to allow a reasonable amount
of time to achieve results. By linking it with
“measurability”, timelines for campaigns also
make it easy to check progress towards your goal.
2. hOw TO SET A FUNDRAISING PLAN
Specific measurable Acceptable Realistic Timebound
1+1=2
1+1=2
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2.4 ThE COmmUNICATION PLAN
Fundraising cannot exist without a clear and
compelling communication strategy.
So, how to draft your fundraising
communications plan?
The first step is to sit down with your
organisation’s strategic plan and fundraising
plan for the year. Make a list of the different
target groups you need to be communicating
with and when this needs to happen. Then,
create a matrix matching the important
messages for the year and the strategic goals
for the organisation with each of your target
groups.
Your communications matrix establishes
a foundation for your outreach activities
throughout the year. It may include
deliverables such as newsletters (electronic
or printed), calls for support, event
announcements and reminders, annual
reports, policy and advocacy activities, as well
as calls for volunteers.
Its purpose is to ensure that communications
are sent regularly, that they deliver your
key messages, and leave room for specific
communication needs that may arise
unexpectedly.
Once you have finalised a draft of your
communications plan, invite the appropriate
staff members in your organisation to review
and offer additions based on any events or
constituencies you might have overlooked.
As you create your communications plan or fine-tune an existing plan, make sure that the three most important messages are included throughout the year:1. This is our mission. These are
our needs. This is how you can help.
2. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
3. your support has helped us accomplish “x, y and z”.
As you create your communications plan or fine-tune an existing plan, make sure that the three most important messages are included throughout the year:
1. This is our mission. These are our needs. This is how you can help.
2. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
3. your support has helped us accomplish “x, y and z”.
Technology has made it easy to engage our
target audiences through a variety of
platforms. Determine the platforms that
resonate most with your constituencies and
make sure to incorporate the use of social
media platforms to enhance and complement
the communications tools you have already
listed.
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Next, establish a realistic set of
communication goals for your organisation.
Will you communicate with your various
constituencies on a weekly, monthly,
or quarterly basis? You may need to
communicate with some groups more
frequently than others.
Finally, build in a process to evaluate the
success of your communications. Monitor the
response rates, open rates, and the contents
that your various audiences react to. What
are they sharing? Which appeals and calls to
action are they responding to? Set aside a
few hours at the beginning of each month to
review the communications activities from
the previous month, so you can tweak them
and recalibrate your strategy if necessary.
A few tips! Here are some of the possible
communications supports to reach your
target audience:
To engage your Board, think of weekly
emails to the Board members outlining
your organisation’s recent success stories
and important next steps;
Send campaign updates to pending donors
every two weeks;
To cultivate prospective donors, send
monthly inspirational emails, letters,
website links or articles;
A quarterly newsletter or magazine can remind
your target audience of whom you are;
Send semi-annual President or Chairman
letters;
Publish annual reports to recognise your
donors’ role and to demonstrate impact;
Occasionally send handwritten notes to
thank key donors and volunteers;
Send a personal email invitation rather to
a blast email;
Make a phone call to say “hello” or
“thank you”.
Your challenge is to create or enhance a
climate that is favourable to donations
to your organisation. A well-conceived
communications plan will be essential to the
success of your campaign, especially if you
are targeting the general public. The case for
support, campaign brochure, and publicity
plan are the tools to support your fundraising
campaign.
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To recap, remember to:
Develop a Persuasive “Case for Support” for
a fundraising campaign.
It presents the rationale for supporting a
fundraising campaign or project. Properly
executed, it is one of the most powerful and
compelling tools your organisation can have
in communicating its fundraising objectives
and in persuading prospective donors to
make a commitment.
Write and design a winning brochure.
A fundraising brochure is another important
tool to communicate about the value of
an organisation to a targeted audience, as
well as to make your organisation’s “family”
more knowledgeable about your non-
profit and the purpose and structure of the
campaign. Learn from others: do not hesitate
to study brochures from other non-profit
organisations’ campaigns. Having an official
brochure in hand is essential in establishing
the perception in the potential donor’s mind
that the campaign is professional and in
providing confidence to volunteer leaders and
solicitors.
Announce and publicise your campaign.
Bear in mind that publicity should be sought
only in order to specifically support and
enhance the fund-raising effort. You are trying
to create public awareness of the reason for
the campaign, rather than of the campaign
itself. Publicity in the case of a fundraising
campaign means scheduling announcements
and events. Opportunities for publicity should
be planned and committed to a timetable and
incorporated within the campaign’s overall
calendar. Announcing your campaign to
constituency groups is a first step in preparing
them to be solicited.
2.5 CAmPAIGNS AND TOOLS
Once you know how much you need to raise
and why you need to raise it, you need to
figure out what tactics and tools you will use
to reach your goal. A campaign is a series
of operations undertaken to achieve a set
goal(s), and it operates within a particular
time period with defined start and end dates.
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Segmentation is the key
There is no such thing as “the general public.”
People come in all shapes and sizes, with
their own likes and dislikes. Even saying
“potential donors” can be problematic: how
do we target such a general group of people?
Campaigns are vehicles that should be used
to talk about the impact of non-profit’s work,
but not in a general way: some audiences
are more important than others to reach a
specific goal.
Therefore, think of the following fundamental
elements when defining your campaign:
The target (what kind of constituencies we
want to talk to)
The message we want to pass on
The desired action (from the target)
The channel (or tactics, or tool) which will
be the most effective to reach the target.
2.5.1 ThE FUNDRAISING vEhICLES
There are lots of vehicles to be used in a
fundraising strategy – from mailing and
e-mailing to events, face-to-face meetings,
and many others.
The vehicle should be chosen depending on
the specific situation, each of them involving
a different degree of personalisation. The rule
is: the more personalised the vehicle is, the
more efficient it will be.
Therefore, if your fundraising campaign’s
goal is to reach a high number of people,
you will not use face-to-face meetings to
inform each of the potential targets about
your organisation and programmes. You could
instead arrange a public event or set an email
campaign to inform the community you target
about our projects.
Try to include a good mix of fundraising
tactics. Common tactics include:
Individual giving – asking major donors to
make gifts to your organisation
Major donor groups
Minor donor groups
Annual giving and multi-year Giving
Campaign
Events – both large and small
Direct mail
Telemarketing
Online giving
Grants – foundations, corporate,
government...
Corporate giving programmes
Participatory Fundraising.
2. hOw TO SET A FUNDRAISING PLAN
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2.5.2 whAT ABOUT SOCIAL mEDIA?
Generally speaking, social media is a broad
term used to describe various web-based
and mobile technologies that facilitate social
interaction and the sharing of words, photos,
and video. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn,
YouTube, or Pinterest are popular social
media tools.
Social media rely on audience participation
as a driver, allowing individuals with common
interests to quickly and easily use technology
to interact and exchange information in the
electronic world.
Social media should be part of your strategic
communications plan, simply because it’s a
fast, cost-effective way to monitor and build
your brand and grow relationships with your
audience. However, you need to be ready to
use it. Social media can do more harm than
good to your brand and communications
objectives if you leap into conversations
too soon.
How to engage on social media?
Know who you are and how you want
to position yourself online. A strong
organisational identity will help you
do this.
Appoint one or two social media
ambassadors to keep communications
consistent. Be sure they understand the
approach you are aiming for and what is
off-limits for online discussion.
Be realistic about your ability to manage
your social media strategies. Small steps
will help you to assess the time and
resources you will need to dedicate to
social media to benefit from it.
Before you start talking online, listen
carefully. Get a sense of who your
audience is and what they are talking
about before you chime in. This will
ensure you offer relevant information that
positions you as an expert.
Engage people in meaningful interactions.
It is easy to simply talk at people, but
effective social media strategies are about
building relationships with your target
audience.
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Consider posting questions that invite
feedback and opinions about issues that
matter to your organisation. When users
post comments that are relevant to your
organisation, acknowledge them.
Use social media as one of the ways you
thank individual donors.
Follow conversations about your
organisation, programmes and services.
Do not wait to respond if the discussion
takes a negative turn. The intimate nature
of social media encourages open dialogue,
and sincere exchange is welcomed.
Most of all, be creative. There are many
ways you can build affinity with your
audience. Embrace them.
2.5.3 TELLING STORIES: STORyTELLING
People remember stories. They engage,
inspire, and encourage people to act. All non-
profits have stories to tell about how their
community was impacted through their work.
Many organisations underestimate the power
their stories have to help them connect with
their audience. Storytelling is one of the most
important element in your communications
toolkit.
Stories are memorable and touch readers
in a personal way. They help you bring
independent pieces of information together
into a coherent message.
Think about using storytelling in annual
reports, on your website, in newsletters,
fundraising campaigns, and in direct mail.
Keep stories short and relevant to your
audience, and make them about a single
person or group of people. Finally, do not
forget to deliver an underlying message that
ties back to your mission and goals.
Remember: good time management is
essential!
Many non-profits stumble here: even with a
solid budget, a great mission, and a plan that
includes a solid group of fundraising tactics,
they fail to set timelines, and thus never seem
to get things done.
A detailed and precise timeline as well as
some indicators that clearly show how the
campaign is going/has gone will force you to
think critically of your fundraising decisions,
and provide invaluable guidance on activities
as the year progresses.
S T O R yET L L I N G
2. hOw TO SET A FUNDRAISING PLAN
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2.6 FUNDRAISING AS A PERmANENT PROCESS: ThE CyCLE OF FUNDRAISING
The fundraising process needs to remain
genuine, personal, and focused on the donor
as a human being. Your donor is not an ATM
machine! Donors are to be engaged for life,
not for a single transaction.
The four primary steps in the fundraising
process can be defined as:
1. Identification and research (20%) –
Identifying potential donors is an essential
aspect of any fundraising campaign;
without prospective donors there can be
no solicitation.
2. Cultivation (25%) – Cultivating the
relationship with the identified prospective
donors is the second step in the fundraising
process. The solicitation (“the ask”) might
come a month or two years later, but a well
thought-out strategy to bring that donor to
the actual point of solicitation is critical.
A process that is either too fast or too slow
can become a problem. By asking too quickly
you might offend the donor; by waiting too
long you might miss an opportunity and leave
it to a competing organisation. It may require
months if not years of relationship-
The CyCLEof FUNDRAISING
and research
acknowledge-ment and
stewardship
building before you consider making the
actual ask. The cultivation step is similar to
farming, where timing is essential: plant the
seeds, cultivate the field, and be patient. You
must also be diligent, meaning tending with
care, interest, concern, and respect for the
circumstances surrounding you.
3. Solicitation (5%) – Solicitation of (major)
gifts and donations is the culmination of all
the hard work. Unfortunately this is also
often the most difficult or anxiety-driven
step for you as a fundraiser because asking
for money is not an easy task for many
people. But if the cultivation of the donor
was done properly and the prospective
donor is well prepared, then asking
becomes much easier.
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At this stage the prospective donor is
approached with a specific request for
support, usually in the form of financial
support, although it could be a request for a
gift-in-kind. Typically the solicitation is made
during a meeting, or series of meetings. This
must be performed very professionally and
with a focus on the donor and their particular
heart-felt interest. Ultimately, you need to
demonstrate how the donor’s support is
going to directly impact people in a significant
and meaningful way.
4. Acknowledgement and stewardship
(50%) – Donors’ gifts need to be thanked
over and over again. Stewarding the
donor is critical to reinforcing trust, create
engagement, and planting the seeds for
future gifts. During this stage the gift
is acknowledged and the donor is also
regularly informed of the progress of the
project and the results that were attained
from their individual gift.
Donors need to be stewarded to varying
degrees depending on their level of financial
commitment and involvement. This step in
the cycle of fundraising is critical to the long-
term success of your fundraising programme
and of your organisation itself. People are
very sensitive about how they are treated by
an organisation. No matter how good your
organisation is, donors have high expectations
regarding how they want to be treated. So
thank your donors profusely; demonstrate
how important they are to your organisation
and make them feel like they are true
advocates of your organisation.
2. hOw TO SET A FUNDRAISING PLAN
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Non-profit organisations are facing increasing
pressure from their corporate donors to act
and report like companies. Donors want to
know what their support meant in terms of
social or public health improvement. This
demand for measurement poses a new
challenge to organisations. On the other side,
as an organisation, you also need evidence to
assess your own performance, outcomes, and
impact.
3.1 RETURN ON INvESTmENT / SOCIAL RETURN ON INvESTmENT
It is not always easy to measure achievements
in the health and social sectors. To
assess your effectiveness, you will need
to develop measurable indicators. This is
particularly important from a fundraising
perspective because there is a direct
relationship between visible results and
the willingness of people to donate and
volunteer.
3.1.1 DIFFERENTIATING BUSINESSES AND NON-PROFIT ORGANISATIONS
In the business world, the concept of return
on investment (ROI) is quite simple: it refers
to the profit generated by the money invested
into a business. It is usually expressed as a
percentage per year.
The business definition of ROI has a number
of applications for patient organisations.
Many non-profit organisations deliver
products and/or services for fees. Patient
organisations differ from businesses primarily
in that they fully reinvest all profits into their
organisation, and no owner will eventually
reap a capital gain.
3. ThE ChALLENGE OF EvALUATING FUNDRAISING
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In addition to the classical ROI formula, which
will produce numbers related to the efficiency
of the service delivered by your organisation,
the real challenge for you will be to be able to
answer the three following questions:
1. Do I have evidence suggesting that my
organisation creates a positive ROI?
2. What is the added-value created by my
organisation when serving its members
and the patient community?
3. What information do I have to
substantiate the claim that my organisation
contributes to strengthen the specific
community of patients it addresses?
3.1.2 hOw TO CALCULATE yOUR RETURN ON INvESTmENT?
Traditionally, ROI is calculated by adding all
the benefits from investments, subtracting
the costs associated with these investments,
and then dividing by the total costs.
You can use this formula to calculate the ROI
of your organisation’s fundraising operations:
you will need to add the compensation for
fundraising staff (including benefits and
salaries) to the expenditures for fundraising
to determine your total fundraising
expenditures. That number then should
be subtracted from your total fundraising
revenue. The result will then be divided by
the total fundraising expenditures.
(Total Fundraising Revenue – Total Fundraising Expenditures)
Total Fundraising Expenditures
The result of this calculation is the amount of
money directly applied to your organisation’s
mission.
3.1.3 SOCIAL RETURN ON INvESTmENT (SROI)
ROI is only one of the variables used in
the very large equation of fundraising
effectiveness measurement.
Social Return on Investment is a framework
for measuring and taking into account the
broader concept of value; it measures change
in ways that are relevant to the people or
organisations that experience or contribute to
it. SROI goes beyond numbers: it can include
case studies and qualitative information
in addition to the mere quantitative and
financial information.
SROI tells the story of how change is being
created by measuring social, environmental,
and economic outcomes. These are then
translated into monetary values, which allows
us to calculate the benefit-risk ratio.
For example, a ratio of 3:1 indicates that an
investment of 1€ delivers 3€ of social value.
An SROI analysis can take many different
forms. You can take into account the social
3. ThE ChALLENGE OF EvALUATING FUNDRAISING
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value generated by the entire organisation,
or focus on just one specific aspect of the
organisation’s work. The SROI analysis can be
carried out as an in-house exercise or can be
led by an external researcher.
There are two types of SROI analyses:
Evaluative – conducted retrospectively
and based on actual outcomes
Forecast – predicting how much social
value will be created if the activities meet
their intended outcomes.
Forecast SROIs are especially useful in the
planning stages of an activity. They can
help to demonstrate how investment (or
donations) can maximise impact. They
are also useful to identify what should be
measured once the project is up and running.
For an evaluative SROI to be carried out,
data on outcomes will be needed. A forecast
SROI can provide the basis for a framework
to capture outcomes. It is often preferable to
start using SROI by forecasting what the social
value may be, rather than evaluating what it
was, as this ensures that you have the right
data collection system in place to perform a
full analysis in the future. The level of detail
required will depend on the purpose of your
SROI; a short analysis for internal purposes
will be less time-consuming than a full report
for an external audience that meets the
requirements for verification.
The seven principles of SROI
Involve stakeholders Understand what changes value the things that matter Only include what is material Do not over-claim Be transparent verify the result
3.1.4 ThE USES OF SROI
An SROI analysis can be used as a tool for
strategic planning, for communicating
impact and attracting investment, or to make
investment decisions.
SROI will help you understand, manage, and
communicate the social value that your work
creates in a clear and consistent way with
customers, beneficiaries, and funders. It will also
point out potential improvements to the services,
information systems, and the governance of your
organisation. Therefore it is a great tool to guide
the choices managers face when deciding where
they should spend time and money.
Finally, SROI may help you improve the way you
collect information. Improving the information
you use to report performance and being able
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to compare performance against forecasts will
help you create more value.
For a patient organisation trying to obtain funding through donations, the impact and SROI can be seen from three different perspectives:
The organisation contributes to avoid unnecessary spending and suffering by helping to prevent certain health conditions through knowledge dissemination and awareness-raising;
The organisation multiplies the core funding’s impact with volunteers’ experience and in-kind donations such as goods and pro-bono services;
The organisation contributes to strengthen the community by encouraging patient involvement and creating connections between healthy individuals and disease-affected people.
3.2 INTERNAL ENGAGEmENT
When evaluating the internal engagement
and its contribution to the organisation’s ROI
and impact, the most important focus usually
is the effectiveness of the personnel (staff,
board members, and volunteers) involved in
fundraising activities.
The effectiveness of the paid staff is usually
measured by comparing the revenue factors
(including the number of quality visits and
of open and closed proposals), to the staff
expenses (total salaries and benefits).
But many non-profit organisations also rely
to a great extent on volunteers. The key
question is: how do we measure the value
of volunteers? And what about volunteers
serving on the boards of the non-profit
organisations? Assuming a board meets 12
hours each year, the combined value of the
board members’ volunteer time amounts
to a lot of money, if they were to be paid.
We also need to consider the additional
time that board members devote to their
organisations and the value of their skills
and expertise. Boards benefit from the
knowledge of consumers, activists and a wide
range of professionals, including lawyers,
judges, doctors, nurses, teachers, executives,
financial experts, marketing specialists, and
academic experts.
3. ThE ChALLENGE OF EvALUATING FUNDRAISING
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A major opportunity to improve efficiency
is through internal collaboration. Increased
collaboration between fundraising staff
and other staff not only improves global
engagement, but also enhances your
fundraising effectiveness by creating
organisational advocates and demonstrating
to your entire organisation the impact and
value of development. This would also apply
to all people involved in the organisation,
such as board members and volunteers.
From an external perspective, potential
supporters/donors/contributors examine
several different factors when determining
the organisation’s impact and value. Among
these are the organisation’s mission (is the
organisation true to its mission?), its size (as
returns will vary based on size and scope),
the constituency profile (socio-economic,
geographic, and demographic variations
will affect ROI as well as potential impact),
and the maturity of the organisation (well-
established organisations deserve a higher
expectation of increased ROI and impact).
Contribution by your organisation’s board
members also constitutes a leading indicator
of whether the organisation is serving its
purpose. This should not be viewed solely
in terms of money contributed but also in
terms of the board members’ engagement. If
an organisation receives strong support from
its board, a donor will feel more comfortable
supporting this cause and will thus expect the
return on his or her donation to be higher.
transparency
3.3 EThICS, TRANSPARENCy, ACCOUNTABILITy
Ethics are the rules of conduct recognised in
respect to a particular class of human actions
or a particular group, culture, religion, ethnic
community, etc. In the same way we speak
about medical ethics, we can also talk about
fundraising ethics.
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Fundraising professional associations
worldwide have agreed on five important
principles for acting as a fundraiser6:
1. Honesty: Fundraisers shall at all times
act honestly and truthfully so that the
public trust is protected and donors and
beneficiaries are not misled.
2. Respect: Fundraisers shall at all times
act with respect for the dignity of their
profession and their organisation and
with respect for the dignity of donors and
beneficiaries.
3. Integrity: Fundraisers will act openly
and with regard to their responsibility for
public trust. They shall disclose all actual
or potential conflicts of interest and avoid
any personal or professional misconduct.
4. Empathy: Fundraisers will work in
a way that promotes their purpose
and encourage others to use the same
professional standards and engagement.
They shall value individual privacy,
freedom of choice, and diversity in all
forms.
5. Transparency: Fundraisers shall publish
clear reports about the work they do,
the way donations are managed and
disbursed, and costs and expenses, in an
accurate and comprehensible manner.
3.3.1 ThE BENEFITS OF TRANSPARENCy
An SROI analysis can be used as a tool for
strategic planning, for communicating
impact and attracting investment, or to make
investment decisions.
Transparency is the obligation or willingness of
organisations to publish and to make relevant
data available to stakeholders and the public.
Transparency is essential to generate trust in
non-profit organisations. In fact, transparency
is very often a condition to receive funding
(grants, subsidies, corporate funding and
donations…).
Develop a favourable attitude toward
transparency: legal obligations such as annual
reporting or financial audits should not be
viewed as a difficult chore, but instead turned
into an incentive to build good practices.
Transparency is a proactive and self-imposed
engagement from your organisation: the
information on issues such as funding sources,
governance, and participation mechanisms
should be released without anyone needing to
request it. It becomes a value incorporated into
practice.
Speak a language everyone can understand!
Additionally, the information must be properly
updated and understandable to anyone who
will look it up. Make sure you accompany your
3. ThE ChALLENGE OF EvALUATING FUNDRAISING
6 International Statement of Ethical Principles in Fundraising, from the Association of Fundraising Professionals’website: http://www.afpnet.org/Ethics/IntlArticleDetail.cfm?ItemNumber=3681 (accessed on 4 January 2016).
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technical documents with explanations in plain
language. Finally, make sure your content is
accessible to people with disabilities (such as
impaired hearing or vision).
The communication channel that allows non-
profit organisations to better fulfil all of the
above conditions is the organisation’s website.
What are the results from applying
transparency into your daily work?
It improves management
It improves internal and external trust in the
organisation
It contributes to developing a favourable
perception of your organisation to potential
donors, investors, volunteers, etc.
It facilitates participation and dialogue on
an equal footing
It provides accountability
It encourages appearance in the media
It is a preventive factor of corruption.
RESOURCES OUTCOmES
3.3.2 ACCOUNTABILITy: CORRELATING RESOURCES AND OUTCOmES
Accountability is an obligation or willingness
of organisations to account for their actions
towards their stakeholders. For a non-profit
organisation it is to account for its activities,
accept responsibility for them, and to disclose
the results in a transparent manner. It also
includes taking responsibility for the money
received or any other entrusted funding.
Most organisations (be they for or not for
profit) will follow principles-based standards
which address issues such governance,
management model and organisational
strategy, along with sustainability and
stakeholder engagement. Being accountable to
donors, funders, supporters, and society as a
whole is about explaining what your non-profit
organisation does, why it does it and what it
achieves to help other people.
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One of the most common forms of being
accountable is through reporting. An annual
report is a yearly publication that corporations
and businesses must provide to shareholders to
describe their operations and finance. Although
non-profit organisations are not required
(yet) by law to publish annual reports like
corporations do, many non-profit organisations,
foundations, and charities of recognise the
value of reporting and thus produce annual
reports.
Target audience and structure – In non-profit
organisations the information is addressed to
members, donors, funding institutions, and the
public in general. Typically, an annual report
will have two parts: the first part will often
contain a combination of graphs, pictures
and an accompanying narrative text with the
chronicle of your organisation’s activities over
the past year; the second part will contain
detailed financial statements (with or without
an auditor’s report depending on your turnover
and legal requirements) and operational
information about services or programmes.
A well-written and well-presented annual
report, in either a printed or a digital format,
helps demonstrate the accomplishments
of your organisation to current and future
donors and funders. The report also cultivates
new partnerships and recognises the people,
foundations, and corporations who support you.
Some non-profit organisations struggle with
what should be included and should be left out
in the annual report. Instead of just complying
with the obligation and pleasing the internal
audience of the organisation (board, members,
funders, governmental agencies, etc.), the
common headache of annual reporting can be
turned into an opportunity. Annual reports can
be a precious communication tool to generate
social trust in you organisations. Consider the
following:
Think of the external stakeholders and of
the public at large. Define clearly whom you
are addressing and what you want to tell
them. Give your report a title, perhaps a
tagline, and/or claim.
Plan for your report as an ongoing
communication activity. Information about
facts is not communication. Collect pictures,
testimonials, and highlights to make it a
lively publication.
Think your dissemination strategy through!
Decide where, how, and to whom the
annual report is distributed.
2016
3. ThE ChALLENGE OF EvALUATING FUNDRAISING
35EPF TOOLKIT / FUNDRAISING FOR PATIENT ORGANISATIONS
Some practical tips for a non-profit
organisation’s annual report:
1. Focus on the organisation’s
accomplishments (outcomes), not activities
(outputs)
Show the change that is taking place because
of donors and supporters. The services (and
products) of the organisation should be
proof of the progress toward the (better)
world that you are trying to build. The stories
you tell need to demonstrate how your
organisation is helping others get there too.
Explain what you did, but more importantly,
why you did it, and what the results were.
Explain why your organisation spent time
and money the way it did, and the difference
it made. Link your accomplishments to your
mission.
2. Tell the story of the organisation’s vision to
get the most impact
Show people your organisation’s blueprint for
the future and invite them to help you create
it. Define your brand: more and more people
want to associate with brands that share their
beliefs. Tell them what yours is and give them
the opportunity to agree with it.
3. Don’t emphasise fundraising success
Fundraising achievements are not to
be celebrated in the annual report on
the same level as the mission-related
accomplishments. Readers prefer to find out
what was done with the money rather than
how it was raised. This information is best
placed in the financial section of the report.
4. Include pictures (and videos when using
digital format)
Photos really are worth a thousand
words. Many of the people reading the
organisation’s annual report will not actually
read it. Acknowledge that and show them
what the organisation has been doing with
pictures instead.
5. Write captions to tell the story behind the
pictures
Now that you have your readers looking at
the photos, tell them a story with captions.
Avoid simple statements of just what is in
the photo, and instead, connect the picture
to an accomplishment. If people were to
read nothing else but the captions in the
annual report, they should still be able to get
a sense of the good work the organisation
did last year.
Tips!
36 EPF TOOLKIT / FUNDRAISING FOR PATIENT ORGANISATIONS
6. Include personal profiles
Donors and supporters will be more
impressed with real stories about real people
than general summaries of the organisation’s
work in the previous year. Explain what the
organisation has accomplished overall, then
“humanize” the statistics with some personal
profiles. Highlight how the organisation’s
work helped a specific individual or group.
Share a volunteer’s story or a beneficiary’s
testimony of how they made a positive
difference.
7. Explain finance
Most probably many of the organisation’s
donors won’t know how to read a financial
statement or won’t take the time and trouble
to read it. Include a couple of paragraphs
that explain in plain language what the
tables and diagrams say. Where does the
organisation’s money come from and how is
it spent? What are the organisation’s main
funding (and fundraising) strategies? Did
the organisation implement any cost-savings
measures this year?
8. Recognise donors
If space is scarce in the annual report,
consider recognising smaller donors in
other ways such as lists in newsletters and
specific sections on the website. Whatever
the choice, triple-check the correct spelling
of donor names. Also carefully check
the full names of agencies, foundations,
corporations, or any other organisations that
have provided funding or grants.
9. Tell donors and supporters how they can
help
Never leave a potential supporter hanging,
wondering how they can help you. Once
you have inspired them with the good work
you do through your annual report, close
by telling them how they can help you do
more. Explain how they can support your
organisation with their money or time and
make them understand how that action
contributes to a larger effort. Be clear about
the best ways to help, and provide options
about how to apply, join, give, sign up, and
sign in.
3. ThE ChALLENGE OF EvALUATING FUNDRAISING
37EPF TOOLKIT / FUNDRAISING FOR PATIENT ORGANISATIONS
My NGO does not have a database. May I
start a fundraising plan?
Yes, you can. But raising funds without an
effective knowledge of your current and
prospective donors will make your life
difficult when it comes to identifying the right
campaign, fundraising vehicles, or ask.
We have not identified clear fundraising
goals yet. How can I approach the
fundraising plan?
Raising funds without a clear plan will be
difficult. Setting a fundraising plan will enable
you to focus on your organisation’s mission
and programmes and to identify priorities
and needs to be accomplished through the
fundraising activity, based on the values that
your organisation represents.
We have not identified clear fundraising
goals yet. How can I convince the Board to
work on goals setting?
Show your Board members how difficult it is
to ask for something indefinite. Being more
efficient implies planning; and planning
implies having a clear idea of our needs. If
you ask a potential donor to do something
for you, or to give you some money when
you are not clear about the amount of money
you need or about the purpose you intend
to fulfil, it will be difficult for them to decide
what to do.
My Board members are not really involved
in fundraising. How can I encourage them to
promote our organisations, to engage, and
to meet prospective donors?
You should conduct a “Board coaching”
exercise. This process will analyse the
reasons why a person has decided to join
the organisation and to embody a top role. It
will look at the personal values and feelings
motivating your Board members, as well
as the will to do something good for you
mission. Serving as a Board member is a
delicate role, which entails responsibilities.
An active and committed Board is vital for
fundraising and for an NGO in general.
Alternatively, a SWOT analysis, conducted by
an external person (a consultant, a former
Board member, etc.) could enable you to
understand the situation and motivate your
Board members.
My NGO needs to increase the number of
donors (individuals, companies, etc.). How
can I achieve this goal?
Work on communication as a first step.
Spread the word about your cause and your
programmes using both online and offline
vehicles, arrange a public event within a
popular location in your community, and
involve groups which are already active
in the community. And keep track of the
participants’ names, of course!
How can I start a fundraising campaign for
first-time donors?
Tell them who you are and what you do as a
patient organisation. Donations come after
information and mutual trust, that is, after
some kind of contact and relationship has
been made. Arrange a campaign to present
your programmes and goals and to show your
organisation’s faces. This will encourage first-
time donors to respond to your appeals.
4. FAQ
38 EPF TOOLKIT / FUNDRAISING FOR PATIENT ORGANISATIONS
I have been asking my donors the same
donation year after year to avoid possible
compliances about the amount of money
required. Is it correct?
It depends. A theoretical rule states that if a
donor has responded at least 3 times to your
ask giving you that you asked for, he/she has
become a loyal donor. It is theory, of course.
In practice you have to work on our pyramid
of fundraising to develop the donors’ journey
with your NGO. If you are able to actively
involve donors in your organisation’s life, you
will then be allowed to ask for an increasing
level of involvement and, as a consequence,
an increasing level of money. Working on
donor cultivation is something really delicate
and challenging for an organisation. Ask
for more money if you are able to engage,
cultivate, and stimulate loyalty for your
donors.
Does the protection of personal data conflict
with transparency?
The protection of personal data does not
question the exercise of transparency. If
the information published contains data
that needs to be protected, these elements
need to be dissociated. This means that
the documents can also published but
substituting the protected data by whitespace
or an expression (that can go in brackets)
explaining the reason for the absence.
Are social media appropriate channels for
transparency?
Social networks are not an adequate solution.
They present many problems that contradict
the principles of transparency: to access
the information, users must previously
register, therefore access is not open and
can be restricted by the account owner/
manager. Ownership of the social networking
space does not belong to your organisation;
moreover, your organisation does not have
control over the publicity inserted and does
not fully know what use is made of the data.
What is a volunteer worth?
According to a 2006 estimate (U.S.A.
Independent Sector), the standard rate
assigned to volunteer time was $18.77 per
hour. If a volunteer spends two hours each
week mentoring at risk adults on healthy
behaviour, the dollar value of that time over
one year is $1,952. Clearly, the value of
mentors – and that of all volunteers – goes well
beyond any dollar value that can be assigned.
Do non-profit organisations really need an
annual report?
Yes! It’s not about producing a full-colour
50-page glossy document but rather a
truthful account of the organisation’s
accomplishments and how these help change
the lives of people. It can be a five-page
photocopy.
What is the most important part of a non-
profit organisation’s annual report?
It is the description of what the organisation
has accomplished, the reasons and rationale
behind these goals and accomplishments and
who and in what ways it benefited to.
4. FAQ
39EPF TOOLKIT / FUNDRAISING FOR PATIENT ORGANISATIONS
Foundation Center’s “Introduction to Fundraising Planning” seminar (January 11, 2008).
Cannon, Christopher M. An Executive’s Guide to Fundraising Operations: Principles, Tools and Trends. John Wiley & Sons, 2011.
Tempel, Eugene R. (ed.); Seiler, Timothy L. (ed.); Aldrich, Eva E. (ed.) and Hank Rosso. Achieving Excellence in Fund Raising. 3rd ed. Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2010.
Joyaux, Simone P. Strategic Fund Development: Building Profitable Relationships That Last. 3rd ed. John Wiley & Sons, 2011.
Lysakowski, Linda. Nonprofit Essentials: The Development Plan. John Wiley & Sons, 2007.
Powell, William H. and Paul J. Kirpes Raising Money for Mighty Missions: Steps to Success – Doing What Matters Most: How Charitable, Non-Profit and Faith-Based Organisations Can Raise More Money to Fulfill Their Missions. Powell Publications. 2011.
Seiler, Timonth L. Developing Your Case for Support. Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2001.
Grace, Kay Sprinkel. The Nonprofit Board’s Role in Setting and Advancing the Mission. BoardSource, 2002.
Fundraising Basics: A Complete Guide, Second Edition by Barbara Ciconte and Jeanne Jacob, 2005.
Olberding, J.; Barnwell, L. (2010) Building Strong Nonprofits: New Strategies for Growth and Sustainability. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.
Cagney, P.; Ross, B. (2013) Global Fundraising: How the World Is Changing the Rules of Philanthropy. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.
Pettey, J. G. (2008) Nonprofit Fundraising Strategy: a Guide to Ethical Decision Making and Regulation for Nonprofit Organizations. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.
Sargeant, A.; Jay, E. (2011) Building Donor Loyalty: The Fundraiser’s Guide to Increasing Lifetime Value. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Stevenson, S. (2011) Fundraising Strategy for Small Shops. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9781118703953
Weinstein, S. (2009) The Complete Guide to Fundraising Management. 3rd ed. Hoboken. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.
Smith, G. (1996, reprint 2004) Asking Properly: The Art of Creative Fundraising. London: The White Lion Press Limited.
Burnett, K. (2002) Relationship Fundraising. 2nd ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Ross, B; Segal, C. (2009) The Influential Fundraiser: Using the Psychology of Persuasion to Achieve Outstanding Results. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Brooks, J. (2012) The Fundraiser’s Guide to Irresisitible Communications: real-world, field-tested strategies for raising more money. Medfield: Emerson & Church.
Ahern, T. (2011) How to Write Fundraising Materials That Raise More Money: The Art, the Sience, the Secrets. Medfield: Emerson & Church.
Seghers, V. (2009) La Nouvelle Philanthropie: (ré)invente-t-elle un capitalisme solidaire? Paris: Éditions Autrement.
Online Resources
http://www.worc.org/userfiles/Develop-a-Fundraising-Plan.pdf
http://www.raise-funds.com/2001/designing-a-communications-plan-to-enhance-your-fund-raising-campaign
http://www.thefundraisingauthority.com/donor-cultivation/collect-fundraising-stories/
http://www.firstnonprofit.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Fundraising_A-Partnership-Between-Board-and-Staff.pdf
http://www.urban.org/uploadedpdf/412673-the-nonprofit-research-collaborative-special-report.pdf
Websites
www.theagitator.netwww.sofii.orgwww.fundraising.orgwww.fundraising123.org (free fundraising tools)https://bloomerang.cowww.malwarwick.comwww.philanthropy.com (The Chronicle of Philanthropy)www.gailperry.com (free fundraising tools)www.efa-net.eu/ethics (international ethical principles in fundraising)www.eu-patient.eu/About-EPF/EPF-Website-Policy/www.gettingattention.org (free tools and tips)www.kenburnett.com/blogs.html
5. BIBLIOGRAPhy & SITOGRAPhy
https://twitter.com/eupatientsforum
www.eu-patient.org/blog/
www.youtube.com/user/eupatient
www.eu-patient.eu
www.facebook.com/EuropeanPatientsForum
CONTACT US
European Patients’ Forum (EPF)Rue du Commerce 31B-1000 BrusselsBELGIUM
Phone: + 32 (0)2 280 23 34Fax: + 32 (0)2 231 14 47
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